FOUNDERS
Garrett Coleman
Traditionally trained in Irish Step dance as a child, Garrett has consistently found himself drawn to types of dance that are rhythmically innovative and that push the boundaries of athleticism through dance. In addition to Irish Step, he has trained in hip hop, tap, and contemporary movement. Following a successful career in the competitive Irish dance circuit, in which he won two World Championship titles and numerous other national and international titles, Garrett has toured professionally with Riverdance and Trinity Irish Dance Company. Garrett has choreographed performances for cityLive! Productions of Pittsburgh, has performed with musical acts like Cherish the Ladies, The Chieftans, and Gaelic Storm. He has twice been named one of the “Top 100 Irish Americans” by Irish America magazine. He also performed at the Kennedy Center in 2006 as a Presidential Scholar in the Arts and is a National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts award winner (top 2% of artistic talent in the United States).
These previous experiences have informed Garrett and helped him to define commercially viable and financially sustainable projects in the music and dance industries. As co-creator of Hammerstep, his experience as a dancer and choreographer in the urban environment has honed his artistic vision and acted as inspiration towards Hammerstep’s long term mission and development.
Jason Oremus
Former lead of Riverdance and co-creator of the groundbreaking dance group Hammerstep, Jason Oremus has been making strides in dance from early on in his career. Originally from Sydney, Australia, Jason won 5 consecutive State and National Solo Irish dancing titles from 1999-2003. He also performed in the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney Olympics (alongside Tap Dogs) in 2000 at just 15 years of age. In early 2004, Jason joined the world famous Riverdance and went on to quickly obtain the leading role. Jason toured as the principle male dancer for Riverdance for over seven years, performing in over 40 countries and for notable leaders including The Empress of Japan and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
Realizing that modern Irish dance shows were following a routine pattern since the conception of Riverdance in 1994, Jason co-created and refined a vision for 'Hammerstep' in 2009- a new approach to Irish dance that attempts to break the traditional restraints on this engaging art form, while integrating both culturally and socially through dance collaboration and outreach programming.
After several successful international performances, including at New York City's Lincoln Center and The Palace Theatre on London's West End, as well as an online viral video of their recent appearance on America's Got Talent 2013, Hammerstep is currently in pre-production for a new kind of show: INDIGO GREY, coming to NYC 2015. Click HERE for more..
